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Last night was another good start by AJ Burnett, something very positive to see, but it also came with Jose Molina behind the plate.  Molina has been behind the plate a lot recently when Burnett pitches and it is becoming increasingly hard to ignore the fact that Burnett has put up a line of .212/.303/.333 with Molina catching him and .270/.353/.421 with Posada catching him. 

Now Burnett has one more start and that is Sunday and I am very curious to see what the Yankees do.  Will they try and put the combination of Posada and AJ back together again and hope it works?  Or will they bow to the gorwing evidence that those two can't play nicely with each other?  And what happens if Posada catches Burnett and he blows up again?

I think the answer to that is Francisco Cervelli making the postseason roster.  That would allow the Yankees more flexibility in pinch-running for Posada and allow them to use Posada as the DH if Molina caught AJ.  The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Cervelli is going to make it.  Just another thing to watch in this final week. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

The Red Sox managed to drunkenly stumble into the playoffs last night, despite riding a 5-game losing streak.  The Texas Rangers made life easy by losing to the Angels thus clinching Boston's post-season reservation.

They have been playing poorly, but I'm not going to worry too much about their on-field play, instead I'm more concerned with the healthy of Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell as well as having an eye on a hot-button topic:  how are the Red Sox going to stop the running game?  Sounds like a question for Bill Belichick, doesn't it?

First the health issues.  Mike Lowell had an injection into his hip and is out for a few games.  The injections done in anticipation of the playoffs in hopes that it will allow him to stay healthy.  Beckett had 3 cortisone shots in his back but he describes it as a minor deal.  Good.

As for the nightly track meet in the Red Sox infield, things are scary.  Peter Gammons brought this up first a week ago (at least from a media standpoint), when he talked about the inability of the Red Sox to prevent stolen basis.  Some facts:

The Red Sox have allowed 150 stolen bases in 2009.  They've thrown out 23 would be base stealers.  That's a caught rate of...13%.

Jason Varitek has allowed 106 and caught 16 (13%).  Victor Martinez has allowed 17 and caught 2 (11%).  George Kottaras has allowed 26 and caught 5 (16%).

Ugly.  The Red Sox have to get this under control as the Yankees exploited their problems this year, as did the Rays and several other teams.  Obviously putting all the blame on the catchers isn't fair as the pitchers can and need to do a better job.  It's one thing to control the running game by not letting guys on base, but against a good line-up like the Yankees, you are always going to let guys get on base.

From an organizational standpoint, there has never been emphasis on stopping the stolen base, but if you extend every walk and single to a double, it will bite you in the buttocks (run Forrest!).  I don't want to spend next week watching the ALDS and Chone Figgins, Torii Hunter and every other Angel taking a free base every time they get on.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Whenever the Tigers and Twins settle the AL Central the Yankees will have a decision to make.  Do they want the eight-day ALDS or the seven-day ALDS?

The conventional wisdom is to take the 8-day series which would allow the Yankees to only use Sabathia, Pettitte and Burnett, but consider what that would allow Detroit to do.  Depending on what they need to do this week, the Tigers could potentially throw Verlander twice, Jackson twice and Porcello once.  That's just as good, or maybe better than the Yankees 1-2-3 punch.

In addition, the 8-day series would allow both sides to rest their bullpens a lot.  With days off between each of the first three games and Game 4+5, you could use certainly relievers more frequently and longer.  That could be a potential advantage for the Tigers as well because their bullpen isn't as deep as the Yankees' and therefore would be worn out more in a the 7-day series.

The good news for New York is they don't have to pick until they know who their opponent is.  If the Twins take the AL Central, I think the 8-day ALDS becomes the obvious choice.  But, if the Tigers are the opponent, some thought needs to go into the choice.  I would want to examine the pitchers the Tigers could throw twice in the series carefully before choosing the 8-day option.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

With nothing to play for, the Yankees are going to give the regualrs a lot of rest this week.  I bet tonight they field a lineup like this:

Gardner- CF

Hairston- SS

Matsui-DH 

Duncan-RF 

Miranda- 1B

Hinske-3B

Cervelli- C

Pena- 2B

Guzman-LF

What's your guess? 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

You have to feel great about this team right now.  They beat the two most dangerous teams (at least in the AL) five-of-six this week and clinched the AL East and best record.  It's a long way from 13-15 and 0-8.  

None of that matters now.  The Yankees have a week to fine tune a couple of things and most importantly, stay healthy.  You have to figure there are three questions heading into the final week.

1- Is Joba fixed?  If he has a good start this week you nod yes and cross your fingers

2- What will the postseason bullpen look like?  I would bet they take 10 pitchers.  CC, AJ, Pettitte, Mariano, Hughes, Aceves, Joba and Coke would be my locks right now.  I think Robertson and Marte are probably the favorites for the final two spots, but Gaudin could make a case as could Bruney.

3- Which ALDS format will the Yankees pick?  This one won't be answered until we know for certain who they are going to play and how Joba pitches next week.

For now just enjoy this.  The 2009 Yankees are a fun team to root for. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Well Andy survived his trip to the Bronx, and I think he came away impressed with the new place, but we will let him write about that later. 

As for me, I was amazed at the number of Yankees-Red Sox couples I saw.  I stopped counting after awhile, but it felt like everywhere you looked there was a Yankees' fan holding hands with a Red Sox fan.  How does that relationship survive?

We also didn't see a single fight. The closest we came was when one guy in a Youkilis jersey and one in a Jeter jersey started jawing at each other, but I think they were both too drunk to throw punches. 

Weirdest moment of the day came from a guy talking to Andy.  He was from Philly and claimed that his two favorite teams were the Yankees and Red Sox.  He really couldn't explain it either.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

First things first, let's hope Jon Lester is ok.  That kid has been through more than his fair share of health issues and I hope he isn't badly hurt.

As for the game, you couldn't ask for a lot more from the Yankees.  Joba looked a lot better.  Was it knowing he could pitch six innings?  Was it the talk he had with Girardi?  At this point I would believe pretty much anything and I am hopeful we see that again in five days when he faces the Royals.

You also have to like the fact the Yankees ran on Boston every chance they got. Expect more of it tomorrow with Matsuzaka on the mound and I am sure the Angels will take note of that approach. 

Speaking of noticing things, is Bruney hurt?  If not, Girardi has basically shunned him off the team.  I can't think of any other reason they would use Albie in the 7th tonight.  And speaking of the 7th, Marte may have made the playoff roster by getting Ortiz out.  I bet Girardi wants two lefties and Marte is making his case.  A bullpen of Rivera, Hughes, Aceves, Robertson, Coke and Marte would cover a lot of situations.  

More tomorrow as we celebrate Yankeesredsox.com day in the Bronx. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You could conceivably have the Yankees and Red Sox opening champagne on Sunday.  It's an extreme longshot, but if the Yankees sweep and the Rangers get swept then Sunday you would have the Yankees as the AL East winners and the Red Sox as the wildcard winners. 

It's too bad the Texas game on Sunday starts so much later than the Yankees' game because that would be a sight to see.  Can you imagine it?  Ortiz grounds out to Rvera to end the game and Rivera starts to jump in the air as the Yankees swarm out of the dugout.  But, Ortiz doesn't even get near first because he is mobbed by his teammates as they celebrate the wild card.  Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia do a fist bump and champagne is everywhere. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Jason Varitek since June 1st: .192/.308/.313 with 20 runs, 4 home runs and 29 RBI in 253 Plate Appearances.

Jason Varitek since the trade deadline:  .129/.219/.212 in 96 PAs.  Wow...

David Ortiz since June 1st: .265/.357/.551 with 57 runs, 25 homer runs, 73 RBI in 384 PAs.

Mike Lowell since trade deadline:  .281/.347/.477 with 20 runs, 6 HRs, 24 RBI in 144 PAs.

Victor Martinez since the trade deadline:  .332/.401/.489 with 25 runs, 6 HRs, 34 RBI in 207 PAs.

Jon Lester since June 1:  10-2, 129.1 IP, 2.16 ERA, 141 K's.

Josh Beckett since mid-August:  2-2, 50.1 IP, 5.90 ERA, 13 HR allowed.

Manny Delcarmen 2nd half:  3-1, 7.15 ERA, 22.2 IP, 26 H, 16 BB, 18 K's.

Daniel Bard since August 1st:  2-2, 6.89 ERA, 15.2 IP, 19 H, 11 BB, 24 K's, 4 HR.

Clay Buchholz since Sept 1st:  4-0, 1.38 ERA, 32.2 IP, 24 H, 8 BB, 22 K's, 1 HR.

Takashi Saito 2nd half:  1-1, 0.79 ERA, 22.2 IP, 16 hits, 11 BB, 23 K's.

From a trend standpoint, the bullpen seems to be figuring itself out for post-season play.   Delcarmen and Bard might be spectators (or mop-up options) while Saito has pitched his way into a more prominent role.  Billy Wagner too.

Jason Varitek has been a vacuum.  It is tough to watch, as he got off to a good start, but has completely disappeared.  I see now why the Red Sox saw the Victor Martinez trade as more than just a nice addition to the line-up.  He has been vital providing significant offense and, by catching, it has allowed Terry Francona to bench Varitek.  Come playoff time, I am not expecting to see Varitek at all baring injury and or a blow-out situation.

David Ortiz has also put together a fine 2/3 of a season.  He isn't the player he was in 2007, but he is still dangerous.

As for the rotation, I think we are going to see Lester, Beckett and Buchholz with Matsuzaka as the 4th starter when/if needed.

Big weekend in New York, not so much for standings and playoff spots, but because the Red Sox have been roughed up by the Yankees of late and it'd be nice for them to stop that trend.

Look for me, I'll be the Red Sox fan getting pummeled in the stands by angry Yankee fans.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Andy here.  Peter and I were discussing C.C. Sabathia this morning and how his strikeout rate has dropped a bit compared to his 2008 season.  After thinking and analyzing a bit, we discovered that in 2008, his strikeout rate jumped quite a bit and in 2009 has really only returned to his normal level.

Then we got to talking about why this was.  At first we thought well, he did make 17 starts in the National League in 2008.  But if you look at this 18 starts for the Indians and 17 starts for the Brewers, his strikeout rate was virtually the same.  So the notion of National League line-ups being easier to strikeout didn't necessarily come into play.

Lastly we settled on an answer:  Contract Year.  Sabathia probably changed his mind-set from pitching to contact with 2 strikes to pitching for the strikeout with 2 strikes.  It probably put more stress on his arm and was a potentially risky tactical decision as he could have done permanent damage (which it seems he did not).

That got us thinking about the most important question that we would like to pose to all of you:  If someone told you he would give you $160 million dollars, would you allow that person to permanently paralyze your dominant arm?

Again:  $160mm for the use of your dominant arm?  Please comment.

For the record, Peter said "Yes" in a heartbeat.  I, on the otherhand, struggled with this question.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

Taking two-of-three in Anaheim is a big achievement for the Yankees.  They lowered their magic number to five for the AL East.  They also made it very likely that winning the AL East will clinch them the best record in the AL because Boston is closer to them in the standings than Anaheim.

Add in the way they won.  Good pitching, tight games and it definitely makes you feel good about the playoffs. AJ and Andy both pitched well and Chad Gaudin looked great until he tired.  

One thing that this game shows you is that Joe Girardi doesn't have much use for Bruney right now.  I can't blame him, Bruney hasn't pitched well, but the fact that Girardi gave the ball to Ian Kennedy in the eighth with a one-run lead speaks volumes.  It was even more amazing that Josh Towers was the guy warming up in the bullpen when Kennedy got in trouble.  Right now I think you have to expect the Yankees will keep Bruney off the postseason roster and DFA him after the season.

No matter what happens in the next 48 hours, the Yankees will have at least a 5.5 game lead in the AL when Boston comes to town.  And, both authors of this blog will be attending Saturday's game together.  Expect lots of posts, tweets and updates, assuming Andy survives a trip to the Bronx.    

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

There was picture in the paper the other day of Michael Douglas playing Gordon Gecko on the set of the sequel to "Wall Street".  As I watched the Yankees game last night I thought of a quote from that movie.  Not "Greed is good" but this:

"Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss." 

The Yankees kept out of the abyss last night.  They blew a 5-0 lead in hideous fashion and if they had not won, that was the type of loss that would have lingered for awhile.  Instead they rallied and moved closer to wrapping up the AL East.

And this morning you can see an "x" next to the Yankees in the standings.  Good to see that again. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok, I admit it, Joba is lost right now.  I thought this plan to start him every 5th day would give him the stability he needed, but I was wrong, it hasn't and the Yankees have a big problem on their hands.

And the problem isn't specifically limited to Joba.  Let's start with the facts.  One more win or one more Texas loss and they make the playoffs.   They also lead the Red Sox by five games and the Angels by 5-1/2 with their next six games against those two teams.  3-3 or better and they should win the AL East and clinch the best record in the AL and that is the key to the playoffs.

It is the key because it would allow them to pick the ALDS where you only need three starters and that brings us back to our problem.  The Yankees don't really have more than three starters right now and three might be stretching it.  Andy Pettitte has a huge game tonight because he has to put the fears about his cranky arm to rest.  A.J. Burnett looked a lot better last time out, but we need to see that again this week against prime competition to believe it.  If those two pass their tests then the Yankees enter the playoff with a 1-2-3 that's good enough to win.  If not, well....

But that still leaves an empty hole where a fourth starter should go and if the Yankees reach the ALCS they will need a fourth starter.  That's why I think they have to remove Joba from the rotation and think outside the box.

Let's start with Joba.  He has thrown 146-2/3 innings this season.  Even if he didn't throw another pitch this year, it would be reasonable to assume he could make it to 180 next season.  But he is going to throw more innings this year I just hope he does it from the bullpen.  Let's move him back to the pen and get him ready to pitch in relief in the playoffs.  With a combination of Hughes and Joba in front of Rivera, the Yankees would have the ability to drastically shorten playoff games.  You could ask your starter to give you five innings and then bring in Joba for two, Hughes for one and Mo for one.  That is probably the Yankees best chance to win in 2009.

Moving Joba out of the rotation means you need to find a potential fourth starter for the ALCS.  Chad Gaudin walks way too many guys, but he has pitched well since coming over.  He is now a starter since Girardi finally realized Mitre wasn't cutting it and he gets the first crack.  But the Yankees need a contingency plan and that is where Ian Kennedy comes into the picture.  The Yankees need to get Kennedy out there and see if he can get big leaguers out.   

Kennedy pitched three perfect innings in AAA last week and struck out six.  The Yankees have him on the roster and there is no reason why they couldn't stretch him out over the final weeks of the season to be able to pitch five innings.  As I noted above, with Joba in the bullpen that is all the Yankees need right now and if Kennedy can pitch five good innings, he becomes a candidate for the fourth starter spot in the playoffs.

All of this assumes the Yankees realize that the Joba plan isn't working.  Cashman and Girardi have done a ton of things right this season, but they still show a troubling tendency to let things that are broken stay broken for far too long.  (For examples think of Mitre as a starter or Angel Berroa sitting on the 25-man roster)  Admitting Joba isn't up to starting right now isn't a stretch.  Having him pitch out of the bullpen at this point really won't hurt his long term development and it would make the Yankees better.  Isn't that what you want heading into October? 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Yup, those are words I do not like to write above, but Boston has gotten a great reporter from New York.  Pete Abe is leaving The Journal News and heading to the Boston Globe. 

It's impossible to criticize him for this choice, the Boston Globe is THE GLOBE no matter what people think of it.  The Journal News is...well let's just say it's a paper in Westchester.  Too bad the New York Times wasn't hiring.

Good luck Pete and enjoy him Red Sox fans, you picked up a hell of a reporter.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So tonight in Scranton, Ian Kennedy threw three perfect innings at while striking out six.  Over the three innings he pitched, he managed 43 pitches. 

I am just wondering if the Yankees will think about bringing him up to the majors next week.  Sergio isn't doing it, but look beyond that.  The playoffs are looming and other than Sabathia, who do you trust?  AJ is a mess, Pettitte has shoulder fatigue and Joba is a mystery at this point.  What is the downside of bringing Kennedy up to the majors and giving him three more starts against "real" hitters this season?   He could quickly become a big part of a playoff rotation. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Daisuke Matsuzaka showed up at Fenway Tuesday night and was unrecognizable.

First things first, I will say it knowing that respected media outlet will not; Daisuke lost a ton of weight.  He looked healthy and clearly lost his pudge.  This was evident from the first glimpse of him warming up in the bullpen.  His uniform was baggy, as opposed to “filled-out” in his earlier starts this season.

Secondly, he attacked hitters and showed things we haven’t seen from him before.  He leaned heavily on his fastball and was able to locate the pitch.  He seemed to work faster and dictated the pace of the game, a very nice development as I’ve always said watching Matsuzaka can be painful because he works so slowly.

We also saw an interesting thing between innings.  During what would have been his warm-up throws, Matsuzaka stood about 10 feet behind the mound and aired out several throws to catcher Jason Varitek.  I don’t know the reason behind this, but I suspect it is the Red Sox meeting Matsuzaka in the middle philosophically.  He was quoted earlier this year in a Japanese newspaper that he didn’t think he could succeed with the regimen the Red Sox prescribed.

My guess is the Red Sox told him to get in shape and in returned said they’d be more willing to let him incorporate his past (i.e. Japanese) training techniques which, while unorthodox in the States, seemed to work just fine for him in Japan.

All in all, a great night for the Red Sox and Matsuzaka as with Tim Wakefield gimpy (that’s being kind) and Paul Byrd being Paul Byrd, the Red Sox had no rotational depth.  One start isn’t enough to label this a season saved for Matsuzaka, but it is a nice first step.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

MLB released the preliminary 2010 schedule today and the Yankees will have some interesting games.  Start with the season opener in Fenway and two more games there, followed by three in Tampa.  How's that for a quick start?

The home opener is Tuesday the 13th against the Angels.

The first six Yankees-Red Sox games are in Boston and the Red Sox come to New York for two games in May. 

Interesting road trip in June after playing the Mets at home: 3@Arizona and 3@the Dodgers.  (Hello, Joe!)

Just like this year, the Yankees play Boston in May and then don't see them again until hosting a four-game set in August.  

The season wraps up with a six-game road trip.  3@Toronto and 3 back where everything started-Boston.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So tonight we have Angels vs. Red Sox, a likely preview of Round 1 of the ALDS.  As a Yankee fan who do you root for? 

The reason I ask is because the Yankees are 7.5 up in the AL East over Boston and 6 up on the Angels for best record in the AL.  The nice thing for a Yankees' fan is that over the next three days, these teams are going to combine for three losses.  Whichever way is happens, it's a good thing no matter what. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees DFA'ed Anthony Clagget today and added "Fast" Freddy Gonzalez to the roster.  Clagget was a guy who probably was going to be removed from the 40-man after the season anyway, righties who are 25 with low strikeout rates are plentiful, so don't worry about losing him. 

Gonzalez on the other hand has only one skill, he can run and run very well.  Now, baserunning ability is important and a stolen base in the postseason can be very important, but how will the Yankees shape the postseason roster?

As I mentioned here, the Yankees can take 11 pitchers and 14 position players becasue of how the roster was set August 31st.   Thanks to Nady's injury, they can add Gonzalez to the postseason roster without a problem.  They can also add Gardner, who wasn't on the roster August 31st since he was hurt.  What they cannot do is add Ramiro Pena or Francisco Cervelli since they weren't on the roster August 31st and there were not any injured infielders on the 40-man (though I suppose they could try and reclassify Pena as an outfielder)

You would have to think that they are looking at Gonzalez because they plan on carrying 14 hitters. That means we have a mini-battle right now between Duncan and Gonzalez.  One gives you a power bat, the other speed.  You could make a good argument for either one, let's see what happens over the next few weeks. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Let me preface this by saying I am 95% kidding, but I want Derek Jeter to go hitless on Friday.  Why you ask?  Because I have tickets to Saturday's game of course!

Now, I will change my wish if say Jeter comes up in the late innings with the tying/winning runs on and needs a hit to get them home (team comes first) but if he doesn't, an 0-4 night would be great.  Actually, an 0-0 night and four walks would be even better, just no hits.  And then rake away on Saturday.  Get the hit in the first inning please, just in case the game turns into a blowout or it is cold, or rainy, or if the sun is in my eyes, or if the guy I am going to the game with gets boring.  Thanks so much Derek.

*************

Forgive a little whimsy.  It's hard to do anything but enjoy watching the Yankees right now.  Yes, Joba needs some fixing (but maybe Jeter's "talk" did that he was very good after the first)  And yes, Robertson's elbow is concerning, but then again he might not have even made the playoff roster.  

You can quibble with some things here or there, but the bottom line is this team has won 91 games, leads the AL East by 9 games and is heading for October.  Once we get there, there will be some serious things to talk about, but for now just enjoy the ride.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees have done a smart thing and called up Josh Towers from Scranton.  To do so they had to release Kevin Cash, but clearly they need the bullpen help right now. 

That leaves eight players on the 40-man roster who are currently not with the big club. One of those is Ian Kennedy who we won't see this year and one is Andrew Brackman who is currently impersonating Nuke LaLoosh down in A ball.  Christian Garcia is hurt and so is Wilkin De La Rosa.

Of the final four, Brett Gardner is reahbbing and should be back Monday.  Shelley Duncan, Juan Miranda and Anthony Claggett are part of a playoff-bound Scranton club and therefore we probably won't see them until after the IL playoffs.   

What remains to be seen is if the Yankees will use September to add Austin Jackson to the 40-man roster.  In the past they have done that with top prospects, but the 40-man roster is pretty full.  Would they release a player just to get Jackson in the bigs?  We shall see.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The papers and radio keep droning on about how the Yankees have to secure homefield advantage in order to be able to have any chance against the Angels.  I guess with a 7-1/2 game division lead that's what they need to do to fill column inches, but it misses the real reason the Yankees want to clinch the best record in the AL- the chance to determine when their ALDS series will begin.

Yes, homefield is important, but chances are very good that the ALDS matchups will be Yankees vs. Detroit and Boston vs. Angels.  If that holds up, I am willing to bet that Boston will crush the Angels.  Just like the Angels always seem to beat the Yankees, Boston always seems to beat the Angels.  And if that happened and the Yankees beat the Tigers, they would have homefield anyway.

But determining when the ALDS will begin is a much bigger advantage because the Yankees could choose to make the ALDS about only three starting pitchers.  If a team selects the eight-day ALDS it would start and end on Wednesday.  The way the games are scheduled, you could start the same pitcher in Game 1 and Game 4 and the same pitcher in Game 2 and Game 5, leaving you with the need for a third starter in only Game 3.  When you consider that the Yankees have only two starters who are pitching well right now, the abaility to make the potential ALDS rotation Sabathia, Pettitte, A.J., Sabathia, Pettitte is an advantage worth playing for.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Jon Heyman is reporting the Yankees will call up Pena, Cervelli, Melancon and Dunn later today.  So that's a backup catcher, a utility guy, a future short guy in the pen and WHO?

Mike Dunn is a guy who may have escaped your notice, but he has been on the 40-man roster since last November.  Basically, he is a lefty who moved to the bullpen this season and has 76 K's in 50 or so innings between AA and AAA.

Obviously, he is on the roster right now to see if he can take Phil Coke's job.  If you haven't noticed, Coke has been terrible the past two months.   The reason for this is that he no longer can get righties out.  They are killing him and while his overall numbers against lefties are good (.205/.231/.393) he has given up six homers to lefty batters.  With a playoff game on the line and a lefty up would you trust Coke?  I don't think so.

I imagine trust issues are also the reason Mark Melancon is back in New York.  David Robertson has amazing stuff, but he can't seem to control it.  Looking at a playoff staff with probably 11 pitchers you have to figure that the four starters, Mo, Hughes and Aceves are locks.  Pick either Mitre or Gaudin for long relief and that leaves you with three spots.  I imagine the Yankees want to take two lefties, so take two of the following three: Coke, Marte, Dunn.  That leaves one spot for Bruney, Robertson and Melancon to fight over. Whoever can pitch an inning without creating drama gets the nod.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)